Acts 4:31 “When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spike the word of God with boldness.”

Has prayer shaken you?

This morning many of us will gather in churches across our country and around the world to worship God and come to him in prayer.  Each week, we go to church.  We join in prayers, listen to scripture readings, hear a sermon and sing a few songs.  We drink coffee, visit with our friends and then we go back to our home and our mundane lives.

Can you imagine joining together in prayer and then having our world shaken?  What would happen if we prayed the prayer these disciples prayed and meant it?  Would our churches be shaken out of our mundane worship and routine practices?

If my church was physically shaken this morning it would cause panic and we would all likely think we were experiencing an earthquake.  I do not wish for panic and I am sure God does not want to cause panic in our hearts either.  It would be amazing to watch the effects of a shake in our hearts as a community though.

I pray this prayer for boldness today.  I pray the Holy Spirit fills me and all those willing to receive it so that we are shaken to a new level of service in the Lord.  I pray we are shaken into boldness for the gospel of our Lord.

Holy Lord,

We are timid in the world.  We do not want to offend or step on toes or alienate anyone.  Give us courage to be bold and even in our boldness to be loving and kind.  As your Spirit guides us allow the fruits of the Spirit be evident in us.  Shake our world so we can shake the world around us, all for you.  Amen.